Podbit · Pivot
The Odyssey is tracking 10x Oppenheimer's first-day ticket sales. Meanwhile, Obsession cost under $1 million and hit $300–400 million. Both films prove that when Hollywood makes things people actually want to see, the audience shows up — in theaters, in person.
Where this was said
At 52:30 · chapter starts 50:00
Kara recaps: 'Artificial,' a $40 million film starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman directed by Luca Guadagnino, was dropped by Amazon after its $50 billion OpenAI partnership made the project politically inconvenient. Neon, the indie distributor behind Best Picture winner Anora, picked it up. Amazon gave the film away without a licensing fee, only committing $15 million to its theatrical marketing. Matt argues the reputational damage is severe — the first call Amazon's Mike Hopkins had to make was to CAA's Brian Lord to explain why he was dumping a committed project with a major filmmaker, and every CAA agent will remember that the next time they have a hot script. It's not about this one movie; it's about the signal that tech-company priorities always trump creative commitments.
The Sam Altman biopic 'Artificial,' starring Andrew Garfield, cost $40 million and was abandoned by Amazon after it struck a $50 billion partnership with OpenAI.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
New York draws thousands of young, talented performers every year chasing Broadway stardom — but the hard truth is that most of them never make it. Zelig Williams was one of the rare exceptions.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.